SLIDER

Friday, 30 January 2015

Yesterday I popped into the Barry M press day to have a look at their new
launches for SS15. I say popped in, but I actually spent about two hours there
because it was such a nice place to be. They had rented a private room at the
All Star Bowling Lanes in Holborn which had two bowling lanes, it's own bar and
lots of sofas! There were a few bloggers who had come from a long way so we all
spent the afternoon drinking pretty mocktails, chatting, taking photos and
doing all those bloggery things as well as having a go on the bowling haha. I
seemed to have a lucky throw and hit a strike my first time, we'll just pretend
that I knew what I was doing and did that on purpose haha.

Barry M are launching a new line of speedy
dry polishes in nine pretty pastel shades (along with some other products,
another post on those). The lids are checkered like a racing flag because
they dry so quickly. I like when you can tell what that they are all in the same range from their lids, it's like they are all one family.

I didn't get my nails done at the event as I wanted to get
home and do them myself to really see what they were like. I have just used
Pole Position, which is a mint green, and I can defiantly see a difference in
drying time. I put the first layer on my little finger, then I decided that I
needed to tell the world what I was doing so I sent a tweet and by the time I
can back to my nail it was totally dry. I found that the second and third
layers also dried quickly, just not a fast as the first.

Another feature of these polishes is
the new brush. They are rounded rather than square which makes it easier to get
a nice, clean line along your cuticle. Barry M brushes are usually a great size
and I was able to paint most of my nails in just one swoop which was helpful!

This range launches into Superdrug on
February 11th and Boots on the 18th.

Thursday, 29 January 2015

Giveaways here on my blog always seem to come in pairs! If you haven't checked out the over one I'm running at the moment, you can see it here - I'm giving away a £50 Hotels4U Voucher!

This time I have two signed copies of Clean Bandits New Album.

Kia,
sponsors of the global YouTube Music Awards, recently teamed up with
BRIT nominated Clean Bandit to produce a surprise concert for the band’s
East London fans! Filming what they thought were crowd shots for a
short film to accompany the band's debut album, “New Eyes”, fans were
surprised to come face-to-face with their heroes at warehouse venue The
Laundry.

To celebrate the awards, Kia is giving away two
signed copies of Clean Bandit’s album, and all you have to do is Follow my blog (GFC or Bloglovin) and Comment below to tell
us what it’s called (and where you have followed!)

What is the title of Clean Bandit’s debut album?

A. New Eyes

B. Old Eyes

C. New Nose

The
full Clean Bandit set, filmed exclusively to get ready for the YouTube
Music Awards, is available to view on Kia’s YouTube channel – check it out!

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Friday nights in the city have become my favourite time and place to go out! Everyone is pleased it's the weekend and up for having a good time and it's a great atmosphere, so searching for city, cocktail bars has become a bit of a pastime for me!

When I heard there were a couple of new Dirty Martinis opening I was really excited to try them out. I love every other Dirty Martini that I have been to, so a brand new one was always going to be amazing - plus they were both in the city! It was all clean and shiny, the menus were in perfect condition - you could tell it's new and being well looked after! We decided to try out the Monument one a few weeks ago as Andrew works just down the road!

Luckily for us Dirty Martini have extended their happy hour to 9pm on Fridays and midnight during the week through January which meant that all the martinis we had were only £4.50 each which is a pretty good deal for London! As well as that, My Prosecco crazy boyfriend was pleased with the £10 off of bottles which is another happy hour deal!

As for the cocktails, there was a huge choice of martinis. They were all really yummy and I discovered my new favourite drink ever! You guys might know that I am always on the hunt for the next chocolate cocktail and I have found the best one yet - it's a chocolate martini made with Vanilla vodka and all these tasty sounding liquors.

Whilst making our way though the cocktail list, we ordered a Mediterranean platter to snack on full of cured meats, olives, humus and flat breads. It was really tasty and the sized perfect picky bits to eat while you chat!Needless to say, we both really enjoyed our night there and will be going back as soon as we get the chance.

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Sorry to start January with so many black looks here on my blog but this is an outfit that I really love! Styled this way it's great for being in London, keeping me warm and a giving me a little bit of height with the massive, very lightweight and easy to walk in platforms. I would also happily wear this to the pub with the guys and I have actually also worn it for work last year with a pair of converse!

I absolutely love this jumper and Criminal Damage as a brand. I loved them when I was 15, when it used to be skeletal hands on the back of denim shorts and comic print hoodies, all of which I wore very often haha - Although I've grown up and so have they as a brand. After discovering them again last year I have fallen back in love with their new style.

The boots were a Christmas gift from the SpyLoveBuy team which was such a lovely thought. They came with a giant wrapped present which happened to be a chocolate shoe! Another black boot for my very large collection although they are super different from all the others with their massive platform! As I said before, they are very lightweight. I love that they have a timberland look to them which seems to be all the rage these days!

Monday, 26 January 2015

I have been thinking about trying to buy more clothes that I actually will wear this year. I buy so many pretty things which are just unrealistic. I buy heels that are too high, shorts that are too short and coats that never keep me warm. My thinking is that after reading this article on Capsule Wardrobes, I should buy a few things that I will be able to wear again and again, with as many outfits as I can, all through the year. I'm really getting into wishlists at the moment so I'm thinking of putting together a few different ones, through the year, of things that I should be buying for my collection. I'm going to start here with coats because it's cold and that's what I need to buy first but keep an eye out for more wishlists to come!

Superdry

All of my favourite coats are from Superdry and when I was sent a lineup of the newest addition, this Town Biker coat just jumped out at me. I love that its a biker style with a twist because its long and not leather! It also comes in two tone! And this will definitely go with all everything.

River Island at ASOS

Talking of leather bikers, this is a classic one with another difference, it has a detachable cream faux fur collar which is a fun twist and makes it look more snuggly. Theres usually discount codes floating around for either ASOS or River Island so I always make sure to have a look around before I ever buy anything, even if its just free delivery, it's still money off! Easy to style although I'm not sure it'll be warm enough.

The Ragged Priest

I bought the blue bomber jacket version of this with a Topshop giftcard that Andrew got me last year (there are usually discount codes online for Topshop too!). I love the new raincoat style for this rainy season. The holographic material comes in a few colours and is super fun but still does its job! Perfect for festivals

Missguided

This is the Khloe coat which is part of the premium range at Missguided so it costs a little more than usual although its a great colour and will go with most things I'm sure. I look at coats like this all the time but have yet to take the plunge to actually buy one. I love the smart look but I just think I would have a hard time styling them up.

Oasis I have seen lots of dressing gown style coats around at the moment and the just look so comfy and warm. They also tie in at the waist (obvs) which give a nice sillouette.

Friday, 23 January 2015

I thought it was about time for another competition. This time I have got hold of a £50 Hotels4U voucher to celebrate the launch of their new Romantic Breaks hub which is amazing news!

I know alot of people are against valentines day but I have no idea why. All this "you should show love all though the year" nonsense is rubbish. I just love that it's another day to celebrate and an excuse to do something nice together. Luckily for me, Andrew agrees!

Hotel4U has launched the romantic hub just in time for valentines day and is a great place to see their top London hotel picks! Andrew and I have actually stayed in two of them, one of them for valentines day last year so I can 100% recommend a stay at the Landmark, it was really lovely!

My giveaway will finish a week before V day so you will have time to book the perfect night away whether you want to go away with your boyfriend or with the girls. You don't have to be in a relationship to enjoy Valentines!

Thursday, 22 January 2015

Late November, last year I decided that I wanted to go to Brighton, not sure why because the weather was terrible but I wanted to go. So we did. Instead of a hotel, Andrew and I decided we wanted to try out a B&B as that is something we have never done before and after countless episodes of 4 in a bed it opened my eyes to how nice they can be.

We staying at The Oriental on Oriental Place, Brighton and were very impressed to say the least. We were greeted in the reception with a drink and a cake each while we checked in which was a very nice touch! This was just the first of many nice touches that really made a difference throughout out stay!

We were shown around and taken up to our room, neither of us knew hat to expect. We opened the door to a very large room, bigger than alot of the rooms we have stayed in at hotels before, London or otherwise! The theme was silver and purple which gave a very classy feel to it, there was a sofa, a wardrobe, a dressing table and a big white bed. We also spotted a few more of those lovely touches that I was telling you about. Firstly, there was a bottle of water on each bedside table which doesn't sound like a big deal but Andrew and I always end up having to go out to a shop in search of water for the room so that was very appreciated! They also left us out a selection of fresh l'Occitane bath stuff and the most exciting thing was tea. There was such a selection of all sorts of teas, biscuits and a little basket filled with crisps and chocolate. Why doesn't every hotel do that?!

Luckily for us, we had an en suite which came with a jacuzzi bath so we haaad to make a trip into town to pick up some bits from lush which I mentioned here. We were given a house key and a room key so we were able to come and go as we pleased. We went into town to the Hotel Du Vin for dinner which was lovely but very overpriced in my opinion, it cost more that a nice meal out in central London. We got a cab back to the room to use my new Bath bomb before getting into the huge bed ready to eat all the snacks and watch the Xfactor.

Breakfast the next morning was held in the little reception room which had about five tables. Andrew and I settled in the corner and started with tea which was brought in the cutest little tea pots. We then had a two course breakfast which was very filing and made exactly how we asked before going back up to the room to pack up, check out and make our way home!

We had such a lovely time that we have decided that we would love to come back to stay again over the summer when we weather is better!

*The Oriental allowed us one nights stay free of charge in return for this review. All thoughts are honest and 100% my own.

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Protein shakes and health drinks are a huge thing at the moment, at first I thought they were all about trying to bulk up but in fact, protein is very important for building new cells, repairing tissue, keeping bones stone and giving you the energy you need for the day.

You guys know me and my Boost Juice Obsession (I definitely had one yesterday) and I now like to add a spoon of protein into them although I'm not always in town near a Boost when I want one (which is casually twice a day haha, obsessed, I told you) so I was quite interested when Upbeat got in touch and offered to send me a few vouchers to try their on the go protein drink!

Upbeat contains 20g of whey protein as well as being low in fat and only 150 calories per drink. They are a great alternative to snacking on rubbish which I am very guilty of and they are also in a bottle with a lid so it's easy just to throw one in your bag when your running out of the door in a rush!

I had a feeling they might not taste too good but they're flavored with fruit puree and juice from concentrate and actually really aren't bad. There are three flavours - strawberry, mango & passion fruit and blueberry and raspberry. I tried the strawberry one first as that's always the safest option and it tasted like a milkshake. It was fruity, milky and refreshing without that weird processed taste that you get with some ready made drinks - I'm looking forward to trying the others, especially the berry one, that definitely sounds tasty!

I had mine in during my usual afternoon slump and it made such a difference. Since I currently spend my time blogging in my bedroom, I am quite partial to an afternoon nap but instead of falling asleep at 2pm I was still working away at my laptop, wide awake!

You can get yourself some in Tesco, Waitrose,
Sainsbury’s, The Co-op,
WHSmith and more. Upbeat send me a goodie bag with some vouchers so I picked up mine at Holland & Barrett on Oxford Street!

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

January is a bit of a boring month for most people, apart from Andrews birthday, not much really happens. This makes it a good time to have a proper think about where we want to go on our summer holiday! I love to start thinking about my holiday ideas early on so that I have loads of time to change my mind a few times, think of all the different places you could visit and then get excited for it booking it up.

If your having a hard time deciding, you should try out Holiday Gems new little widget. It goes through a few questions and comes out with a list of places to consider!

It first asks what time of the year you'd like to go and then how hot you'd like it to be! This is something I always get worried about when I book up! I worry that it might be to cold and then I worry about it being to hot haha. I like it best when it's hot enough to wear a bikini at the pool but not too hot that I don't want to wear anything else ever.

Then it asks you what kind of things you like doing while your on holiday. A couple of these things I feel quite strongly about so I was glad it asked. I usually much rather spend time on a beach over the pool, especially if were staying at a family hotel (I usually opt for a family one as at least that way you know the room will be quite at night!) There's just so much more life and exciting things happening at the beach. Also, I love local markets but I really don't like spending my holidays in a big shopping mall, I just think I could do this at home where the shops are 100x better and the sun isnt making me want to be outside. London is always going to be my No.1 shopping destination.

I took the whole quiz and it told me I should go to Majorca. Apart from my new wanderlust to travel to all the weird and wonderful parts of the world, Majorca is somewhere I try to convince my friends to come on holiday every year haha. When I say Majorca, I actually mean Magalluf. I have been twice and I think everyone has grown out of it but I would love the chance to go back for a long weekend.You Booked Your Holiday Yet?

WELCOME

GEORGINA | LONDON | TRAVEL | 24

I'm making it my mission to see as much of this world as I can and if that means sleeping on airport floors or eating plain rice because I can't afford anything else (yep, done them both) then so be it!

Bring. It. On.

Follow me on my adventures as I document my way around the world here on my blog!